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View Full Version : Alternatives to Gitzo Series 5 tripods?



l2oBiN
17-Aug-2012, 13:58
Anything that matches the features, stability/rigidity and durability?

David R Munson
17-Aug-2012, 14:01
There's the Really Right Stuff tripods, about which I hear very nice things. Induro's tripods are nice, too, but I'm not sure the capacity of their biggest model.

What about the Gitzo tripods is *not* to your liking?

vinny
17-Aug-2012, 14:12
What do you need that a used 1325 doesn't offer?

l2oBiN
17-Aug-2012, 14:28
What about the Gitzo tripods is *not* to your liking?

Just wondering if there is anything out there with a cheaper price tag...


What do you need that a used 1325 doesn't offer?
More capacity and rigidity...?

David R Munson
17-Aug-2012, 15:14
The Induro CT414 is a carbon fiber tripod rated to 55 pounds. B&H lists it at $665. Their biggest alloy tripod, the AT413 is rated to 44 lbs and currently goes for $217 at B&H.

What are you putting on the tripod? Do you want carbon fiber or is alloy OK? Do you need a geared column? What's your budget?

l2oBiN
17-Aug-2012, 15:32
What are you putting on the tripod? Do you want carbon fiber or is alloy OK? Do you need a geared column? What's your budget?

I will use a 4x5 monorail with a provisio for future movement to 8x10. I plan to couple it with the arca cube..

Budget wise I would like to keep it as low as possible but the gitzo gt5542ls looks tempting...

Cletus
17-Aug-2012, 17:41
Feisol makes a really nice tripod. I have a Gitzo Series 3, but it was a VERY close call between that and the similar Feisol. Thom Hogan's tripod article is what finally tipped me toward the Gitzo, but that probably doesn't mean much in reality. They appear to made specifically to compete in the Gitzo market if you take a good look at their features. Cost about 30-40% less for a pretty dang good quality carbon fiber tripod.

Feisol accessories and ballheads are nice too, and very reasonably priced. I had one of their Ballheads and never had a problem, but I still like my RRS BH-55 better! Albeit at almost 3x the price. I really like my Gitzo, but I often wonder whether I should have just got the Feisol and been just as happy.

BTW - Feisol's rated capacity on their largest tripod - according to their website - is something like 25lbs, but I personally saw a display where they stuck a little seat on top of the "big one" and had a girl sitting on top. At full extension. (Without a center column, though). It was quite an impressive display!

If I ever had to buy another tripod it would definitely be a Feisol. Induro's seem nice too and their specs are good, just haven't had a good close look at one before.

Cletus
17-Aug-2012, 17:43
But then again, if you're springing for "The Cube" I can't imagine price is your biggest consideration...:cool:

Frank Petronio
17-Aug-2012, 18:04
I've had several Gitzos and currently have a RRS tripod that is superior (and costs more). But I think the latest Gitzos are their best ever, nobody makes anything close to the 5-series - I saw the big Induro at B&W last year and it was decent but nowheres near as nice. Like a Chevy compared to an Audi. It will certainly get the job done but without the refinements of the Gitzo.

I also have a cheap Chinese CF monopod that is 98% the quality of the Gitzo, right down to the printing on the warranty card and branding materials. It is a near clone, with zero originality but amazing build quality given the low price, less than half of the comparable Gitzo. The only thing is that I feel shitty owning it because it is an outright copy of another company's design and engineering - and even their branding! It's wrong and I feel bad that I let my momentary greed sway me, because on a global scale this is going to wreck our economy and reward unethical businesses.

You get what you pay for.

Personally I would invest more into the legs than the head but if the Cube is important good luck!

l2oBiN
18-Aug-2012, 02:34
Well, since we are at it, I would prefer the cube costed half price. I don't know why they charge 1700 for it. Photo clam seems a good cheaper alternative but its still 1200... The manfrotto geared heads seem chunky and awkward in comparison. Are there any suggestions for a nice geared head that costs less?

Ed Bray
18-Aug-2012, 14:35
I've got a Gitzo 2351 lvl which is my favourite tripod but I recently bought a Giottos similar specced 6x Carbon jobbie as a backup for 1/4 of the cost of the Gitzo and the only thing it doesn't have is the leveling head and it's rated at a few kilos less but doesn't actually seem any less rigid than the Gitzo.

David A. Goldfarb
18-Aug-2012, 15:50
I have the GT5540LS, and I'm completely happy with it and think it's absolutely worth the price. I knew it when I picked one up at Photo Plus the year that it came out that it was going to replace three or four other tripods that I had, and it's one of few pieces of photo equipment that I've purchased new. The anti-twist legs and new locking collars were a major improvement over the old style. The weight was comparable to what I considered a "medium weight" tripod, but with the stability of a "heavy weight" tripod. It's as adjustable and modular as I need it to be, the legs are fairly well sealed against sand, and the casting that attaches the legs to the crown is totally solid. I have a few different heads and column options, depending on what I need and how important it is to be lightweight.

If that's what you really want, you can buy it and forget about your tripod and go make photographs. If you get something else, you'll be wondering whether you should have gotten the Gitzo.

Frank Petronio
18-Aug-2012, 18:33
I don't think there is anything priced in between the geared Arca/Linhof/Photo Clam and the geared Manfrottos. If someone made a decent $500 geared head for 8x10 and panoramas I bet it would sell well.

I'd consider whether you really need gearing? I don't know your application but you might consider what might else work - do you need fine gearing or is it more that you want to position your camera very precisely?

Another good head is the Foba 2- or 3-way - they are super solid and heavy-duty - there is no slop or backlash whatsoever - you could aim your camera at a point it will stay put for sure. It is lab quality, weighs a ton, could hold a car.

I'll bet some of the Linhof 2-way tilt and rotate heads are also able to be used very precisely, and even the best bullhead, a RRS BH55, used with a lot of drag, can be set "on the money".

Cletus
19-Aug-2012, 04:34
If you get something else, you'll be wondering whether you should have gotten the Gitzo.

This is a statement that should be taken seriously! I guess it's just human nature - or more probably "photographer nature" - but for some reason when it comes to tripods (and camera gear in general) it tends to be a long and expensive road of trial and error, always thinking you should have bought into the next higher category. If you just bite the bullet and get the best to begin with, you can pretty much cure any future tripod GAS. The Gitzos will last a very long time with reasonable care.

This is right along the lines of Thom Hogan's article I mentioned earlier. Because I know me, and I'm not alone in this I don't think, I just went ahead a followed the advice!

http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

This article is a little dated, but still as relevant as the day it was written I think...

peter ramm
19-Aug-2012, 06:48
A cube with LF! I use it with MF all the time, but it sure doesn't have the guts for studio view cameras. A 4 x 5 field camera would be fine, but a Sinar or Foba head is a much better match with an 8 x 10 on Gitzo 5 series I think.

David A. Goldfarb
19-Aug-2012, 06:52
For my largest cameras or long lenses with small format, I use an Arca Swiss B2. I bought it second hand and had it refurbished by Precision Camera Works in Chicago, and it wasn't absurdly expensive. The B2 has the strength of a ball head, but works like a pan-tilt head, so you can control each axis independently.

Frank Petronio
19-Aug-2012, 07:03
Another point is that once you decide to go with a larger, heavier tripod, the advantages of Carbon Fiber may be less and a heavier Aluminum one will be as solid and a lot less expensive - especially if you find a used 504 or 513-514 Gitzo on eBay for under $300 as they often are. Those tripods have five sections and go around 8' tall, which is great for architecture when you have a ladder to work from. The CF version of the tall-boy is hard to find and over $1000 used - and I don't know how much "dampness" the CF would benefit you because I have never been able to compare the two side-by-side. But my intuition tells me that a heavier Aluminum Gitzo 5 will be pretty rock-solid and if you need something heavier than that then you should be looking at FOBA studio stands, 35mm movie camera tripods, and custom-built rigs. Or sandbags.

Also, while I know CF is stronger on the spec sheet, the Aluminum tripods can be treated very harshly and still be usable. Partially because it was expensive and partially because I am afraid of "cracking" the CF, I do not toss my CF tripod around nearly as much as I would a metal one. Might be why you see people using 40-year + old Gitzos regularly.

If I saw a cheap old tall boy giant 5 I'd snag it.

goamules
19-Aug-2012, 10:17
I can't see spending a thousand dollars on 3 legs and a head when these old tripods are available for around $175:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?93168

Frank Petronio
19-Aug-2012, 11:09
Sure if you put a wooden Deardorff or 2D or Korona on it then it does seem kind of pointless to use a super-rigid tripod that goes 8' tall.

Shootar401
19-Aug-2012, 11:42
I use a Benro with a Benro ball head I purchased from Adorama, I'm not sure of the model number, but it cost me around $400 3 years ago. I can't see spending $800 more just to have a Gitzo name on my tripod to impress other photographers.

Kerry L. Thalmann
19-Aug-2012, 14:42
I can't see spending a thousand dollars on 3 legs and a head when these old tripods are available for around $175:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?93168

Depends on your application and needs. What that expensive carbon fiber tripod will buy you is a weight savings of about 10 pounds and a more compact folded size (important if you ever intend to fly with your large format camera gear).

That said, these older cine tripods seem to be well made, plentiful and affordable. They are the old school equivalent to a Ries. In fact, Ries was a contemporary and competitor to these older wooden cine tripods.

FWIW, the film industry largely switched to carbon fiber tripods about a decade before they began marketing the advantages of carbon fiber to us still photographers.

Kerry

Kerry L. Thalmann
19-Aug-2012, 14:45
For my largest cameras or long lenses with small format, I use an Arca Swiss B2. I bought it second hand and had it refurbished by Precision Camera Works in Chicago, and it wasn't absurdly expensive. The B2 has the strength of a ball head, but works like a pan-tilt head, so you can control each axis independently.

The B2 isn't lightweight. or inexpensive, but it is also my favorite head for ULF work. Very smooth, very strong and relatively compact. It combines the best of a ballhead and a 3-axis head in one product. I sold mine and regret it.

Kerry

goamules
19-Aug-2012, 16:21
Yeah, I agree if I was walking up the trail a ways I'd be wishing for carbon fiber! My tripods weigh a lot.

Dave Tolcher
22-Aug-2012, 23:01
I'll put in a good view on Feisol tripods. I have gitzo 3 & 5 series CF but a traveller Feisol. A friend has the largest Feisol & ball head which he has used for several years with a 45SU. Good tripods. They have just done a large order for the MOD for theodolites with levelling heads. The only reason I would buy a Gitzo over the Feisol from what I have seen is the whole 'buy the best and buy it once' scenario. They are cheaper and likely s/h value will be much much less should you find the pull to a Gitzo too strong !

Dave

Leszek Vogt
23-Aug-2012, 01:18
Hmmm, I never expect to put 88lbs on a tripod or even half that. My 3-leg Feisol can handle 26lbs...or anything on it with spare 10 lbs...perhaps for couple of bricks below for more stability. Sure, I had to make a 'riser' (out of alum) to accomodate better tilts/pans on Manfrotto gearhead. The main thing is that it accommodates my size, where most tripods tend to be below 6' high. It's around 5lbs, I take it on hikes and it travels well in the aircraft. Anyway, $1000-1500 tripod would have been a complete overkill in variety of ways.
Besides, my insurance would likely tell me to take a hail-bound train if they got a whiff that I ever paid THAT much for a tripod ;).

Les

kevwil
25-Aug-2012, 08:46
I have two Induro tripods, the CT314 and the CT113 and don't think twice about Gitzo. When I bought them, the larger one was for my DSLR and the smaller one for my compact camera to do time lapses. It turned out the smaller one was strong enough and stable enough for my DSLR setup and the larger one was really really overkill. And I didn't even get the biggest Induro makes. I plan to use the larger one for large format and I'm not worried in the slightest.

There's nothing wrong with choosing a trusted brand if you can afford it. If you need a Gitzo at a lower price, I trust my Induro tripods and recommend them .

Professional
26-Aug-2012, 07:12
I am lucky enough to buy Gitzo tripods n the past including series 5, it was cheaper that time though, and honestly speaking, i never look back to any tripod options now, only heads, i have RRS BH-55 ballhead and Markins too so i never look for another ballhead, but i look for another head as 3-way or different one than Ballhead, the tripod legs of Gitzo i have are killer and doing the job, i have series 5 for local r domestic hiking and series 5 for international travel, couldn't be happier.